[forwarded from elsewhere]
[From Data Communications, January 1993]
INVENTION CUTS CABLING TIES
An inventor working from a garden shed in the U.K. has come up with a device that enables PCs and other LAN equipment to send and receive data through the plastic outer jacket of copper LAN cabling-- without piercing the cabling. Called the Watsonlinc Cable Coupling Transformer, the device allows users to attach LAN equipment at any point in a network without going through time-consuming and costly cable attachment procedures. The Watsonlinc, which must be placed directly next to a cable's outer jacket, uses a proprietary technique to reduce noise interference while picking up and transmitting data signals. Watsonlinc-equipped network interface cards (NICs) will appear in the next 12 months, according to inventor Mike Watson (Walton-on-Thames, U.K.), who says the device's production cost of about $5 per unit will not significantly increase NIC sticker prices. The Watsonlinc works with both shielded and unshielded twisted-pair copper cabling, is small enough to fit on laptop PC internal adapters, and is capable of handling all common LAN speeds, Watson says. The internationally patented invention works just as well with voice signals. Predictably, it already has been licensed for use in telephone surveillance equipment.
[forwarded from elsewhere]
[From Data Communications, January 1993]
INVENTION CUTS CABLING TIES
An inventor working from a garden shed in the U.K. has come up with a device that enables PCs and other LAN equipment to send and receive data through the plastic outer jacket of copper LAN cabling-- without piercing the cabling. Called the Watsonlinc Cable Coupling Transformer, the device allows users to attach LAN equipment at any point in a network without going through time-consuming and costly cable attachment procedures. The Watsonlinc, which must be placed directly next to a cable's outer jacket, uses a proprietary technique to reduce noise interference while picking up and transmitting data signals. Watsonlinc-equipped network interface cards (NICs) will appear in the next 12 months, according to inventor Mike Watson (Walton-on-Thames, U.K.), who says the device's production cost of about $5 per unit will not significantly increase NIC sticker prices. The Watsonlinc works with both shielded and unshielded twisted-pair copper cabling, is small enough to fit on laptop PC internal adapters, and is capable of handling all common LAN speeds, Watson says. The internationally patented invention works just as well with voice signals. Predictably, it already has been licensed for use in telephone surveillance equipment.
Mike Watson rediscovers inductance, and the inductive tap. Film at 11.
Phiber Optik writes:
[forwarded from elsewhere]
[From Data Communications, January 1993]
INVENTION CUTS CABLING TIES
[stuff deleted]
works with both shielded and unshielded twisted-pair copper cabling, is small enough to fit on laptop PC internal adapters, and is capable of handling all common LAN speeds, Watson says. The internationally patented invention works just as well with voice signals. Predictably, it already has been licensed for use in telephone surveillance equipment. ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Mike Watson rediscovers inductance, and the inductive tap. Film at 11.
And patents it! Gee, I wonder if I patent the RF transmittion, and start charging licensing fees like Watson does with inductance. Hell, some guy has a patent on using XOR in making inverse cursors on CRTs. Thug
uses a proprietary technique to reduce noise interference while picking up and transmitting data signals.
works with both shielded and unshielded twisted-pair copper cabling, is small enough to fit on laptop PC internal adapters,
Phiber writes:
Mike Watson rediscovers inductance, and the inductive tap. Film at 11.
Don't be so dismissive. There is something interesting going on here, even if it's not very complex. This thing works with _shielded_ pair. With twisted pair to begin with, you largely attenuate the inductive signal. (A very short lesson in physics: Current generates magnetic fields. Opposite travelling currents generate cancelling fields. Fields do not completely cancel because the wires are not in exactly the same place.) Shielding a twisted pair further attenuates a signal. It sounds to me like it's an inductive tap with some sort of phase locking built into it. By the mentioning networks, it indicates to me a digital signal. I doubt this thing would tap a POTS line carrying voice. Eric
participants (4)
-
Eric Hughes -
Phiber Optik -
thug＠phantom.com -
Timothy Newsham